Breaking Bread - and Boundaries

"Latinos have a love for food, and sharing with others signals a bond among those who eat together," says Emma Torres, executive director and founder of the Campesinos sin Fronteras program in Yuma.  Campesinos sin Fronteras promotes family, social and economic stability among the migrant and seasonal farmworker community of Yuma County and border communities, as well as distributes health information through the program's lay health educators (promotoras).

During lunch breaks in the agricultural fields, the promotoras sit on the ground, share burritos and talk about health-related issues such as HIV/AIDS and high-blood pressure, using Spanish-language flip cards. The promotoras also find other convenient times for the farm workers, even if that means chatting with them at 4 a.m. while the farm laborers are waiting at local sites to be picked up for work.